Beckfoot Upper Heaton (formerly Belle Vue Boys' School) is a

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

secondary school in Bradford,

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England. It is situated near the

Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...

factory, not far from Bingley Road ( B6269). Previously a boys' school, Beckfoot Upper Heaton introduced girls starting in Year 7 in September 2016 and moved to new buildings in 2017.

History

The school was founded in 1877 and was officially opened (including the girls' section) on 12 August 1879 by

William Edward Forster William Edward Forster, PC, FRS (11 July 18185 April 1886) was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman. His supposed advocacy of the Irish Constabulary's use of lethal force against the National Land League ea ...

, the local MP. It moved to the present site in 1964, as a boys secondary grammar school. It was known as Belle Vue High School from 1896. In 1918, the junior and infants section closed, with the buildings being taken over. From 1966 it became a comprehensive. It had four houses – Dunwell, Hirst, Holroyd and Parry. Previously a community school administered by Bradford City Council, Belle Vue Boys' School converted to academy status in September 2015 and was renamed Beckfoot Upper Heaton. The school is now sponsored by the

Beckfoot Trust Beckfoot School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, in Bingley, West Yorkshire, England. The school has previously gained Technology College status, specialist school status in the Arts, Artsmark Gold and ...

, but continues to coordinate with Bradford City Council for admissions.

Notable former pupils

Belle Vue Boys' School

Adil Rashid Adil Usman Rashid (born 17 February 1988) is an English cricketer who plays for England in One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket, and previously played for the Test team. In domestic cricket, he represents Yo ...

–

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

and England cricket player *

Marsha Singh Marsha Singh (11 October 1954 – 17 July 2012) was a British Labour Party politician, and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bradford West from 1997 to 2012. Singh stood down due to ill health. Singh had a degree in Languages, Politics and Eco ...

1954– 2012 – Labour MP for

Bradford West Bradford West is a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament since 2015 United Kingdom gene ...

(includes the school) 1997 to 2012

Belle Vue Boys' Grammar School

* Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool * Mike Batt, Composer and music producer * David Straun (Smith), Actor * Kamlesh Patel, Baron Patel of Bradford, OBE – politician and member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. * Sir Reginald Bailey CBE – former President of the British Wool Federation * Sir James Birrell FCA – Chief Executive from 1988–93 of the

Halifax Building Society Halifax commonly refers to: *Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada *Halifax, West Yorkshire, England * Halifax (bank), a British bank Halifax may also refer to: Places Australia *Halifax, Queensland, a coastal town in the Shire of Hinchinbrook *Halifax ...

* Sydney Burton – Managing Director from 1975–81 of the Gateway Building Society (bought by

The Woolwich The Woolwich Equitable Building Society (later Woolwich Building Society or The Woolwich) was founded in Woolwich in 1847 and remained a local institution until after WWI when it began a modest regional expansion. This accelerated after WWII an ...

in 1988) and President from 1976–77 of the Building Societies Institute (became the CBSI in 1979 and then became part of the

Chartered Institute of Bankers The London Institute of Banking & Finance is the oldest training and professional body for banking and financial services in England and Wales, and works internationally with partners to establish ethical and professional standards across the ...

) *

David Butterfield David John Butterfield (born New Year's Day, 1 January 1952) is an ordained Minister in the Anglican, Church of England. Butterfield was educated at Beckfoot Upper Heaton, Belle Vue Boys’ Grammar School; Royal Holloway College; and St John's C ...

Archdeacon of the East Riding The Archdeacon of the East Riding is a senior ecclesiastical officer of an archdeaconry, or subdivision, of the Church of England Diocese of York in the Province of York. It is named for the East Riding of Yorkshire and consists of the eight rur ...

from 2007–14 * Malcolm Creek LVO OBE – High Commissioner from 1985–88 to

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

(High Commission abolished in 2004) * Trevor Croft – Director from 1997–2001 of the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organi ...

* Satnam Singh Gill OBE Principal Working Men's College London from 1999 *

James Hill (British director) James Hill (1 August 1919 – 7 October 1994) was a British film and television director, screenwriter and producer whose career spanned 52 years between 1937 and 1989, best remembered for his documentaries and short subjects such as '' Giusepp ...

, film director of 1966 ''

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'' *

Philip Hobsbaum Philip Dennis Hobsbaum (29 June 1932 – 28 June 2005) was a British teacher, poet and critic. Life Hobsbaum was born into a Polish Jewish family in London, and brought up in Bradford, Yorkshire, where he attended Belle Vue Boys' Grammar Sc ...

, poet and literary scholar * Kenneth Hutton, Chairman from 1987-92 of the Peterborough Development Agency, Chief Engineer from 1968-84 of the Telford Development Corporation *

Norman Crowther Hunt, Baron Crowther-Hunt Norman Crowther Hunt, Baron Crowther-Hunt (13 March 1920 – 16 February 1987) was a British scholar and Labour politician. He served as a Minister of State in Harold Wilson's 1974–1976 government, and became Rector of Exeter College, Oxford i ...

of Eccleshill – former Labour education minister from 1974–76,

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

from 1982-87 of

Exeter College, Oxford (Let Exeter Flourish) , old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall'' , named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter , established = , sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge , rector = Sir Richard Trainor ...

* Sir

Robert Yewdall Jennings Sir Robert Yewdall Jennings (19 October 1913 – 4 August 2004) was Whewell Professor of International Law at Cambridge University from 1955 to 1982 and a Judge of the International Court of Justice from 1982. He also served as the Preside ...

– President from 1991–94 of the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

George Layton George Layton (born 2 March 1943) is an English actor, director, screenwriter and author best known for three television roles – junior doctor Paul Collier in the comedy series '' Doctor in the House'' and its sequels '' Doctor at Large'', '' ...

, actor – starred in ''

Confessions of a Driving Instructor ''Confessions of a Driving Instructor'' is a 1976 British sex-farce film. This was the third instalment of the ''Confessions'' sequence on the erotic adventures of Timothy Lea, based on the novels published under the name by Christopher Wood. ...

'' * Harry Moore – Professor of Glass Technology from 1946–55 at the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

* Geoffrey Myers CBE – British Rail executive and Chairman from 1987–95 of Transaid * Prof John Needham – Professor of Architecture from 1957–72 at the

Maurice Peston, Baron Peston Maurice Harry Peston, Baron Peston (19 March 1931 – 23 April 2016) was a British economist and Labour life peer. His research interests included macroeconomic policy and the economics of education. Personal Peston was born in 1931 in London, ...

(briefly), economist at

Queen Mary College , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

, and father of

Robert Peston Robert James Kenneth Peston (born 25 April 1960) is an English journalist, presenter, and author. He is the political editor of ITV News and host of the weekly political discussion show ''Peston'' (previously ''Peston on Sunday''). From 2006 u ...

J. B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

OM, writer, who wrote ''

Time and the Conways ''Time and the Conways'' is a British play written by J. B. Priestley in 1937 illustrating J. W. Dunne's Theory of Time through the experience of a moneyed Yorkshire family, the Conways, over a period of nineteen years from 1919 to 1937. Wide ...

'', and Freeman of the City of Bradford *

Simon Rouse Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

– well-known actor who played Jack Meadows in ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...

'' * Jack Schofield – former computer editor, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' * Sydney Smith CBE – Chairman from 1956–65 of the

Scottish Gas Board The Scottish Gas Board was a state-owned utility providing gas for light and heat to industries and homes in Scotland. The Board was established on 1 May 1949, and dissolved in 1973 when it became a region of the British Gas Corporation. Prob ...

and from 1952–56 of the East Midlands Gas Board * Prof

Fred Watson Frederick Garnett "Fred" Watson AM (born 14 December 1944) is an English-born astronomer and popular scientist in Australia. He holds the role of Australia's First Astronomer at Large with the Commonwealth Government of Australia, relaying ...

AM – astronomer * Fielding West – Labour MP from 1934–35 for Hammersmith North and from 1929–31 Kensington North

References

External links

Beckfoot Upper Heaton official website

News items

Former school site to open as a Muslim school in May 2004
{{Authority control Schools in Bradford Educational institutions established in 1877 1877 establishments in England Secondary schools in the City of Bradford Academies in the City of Bradford People educated at Belle Vue Boys' Grammar School, Bradford